Elevating truck



March 13, 1928. 1,662,782

B. E. scRlvEN AELEVATINGr TRUCK Filed March l5, 1923 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 ,VMM

l Nimh 13, 192s.

B. E. `SCRIVENr ELEVATING' TRUCK Filed March 15, 1923 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented Mar. 13, 1928.

UNITED STATES BERNARD E. scnIvEn,- or SOUND BEACH, sIon PLIMTRUCK Co., oF STANFORD,

N ECTICUT.

CCNNECTICUT, f AssIGNoR To THE `EXCEL-l CONNECTICUT,v A CORPORATION oF CON- ELEVATTNG TRUCK.

Application iednarch 15,1923. serial No. 625,391.

The present invention relates to that class of trucks in which the loa-d i's supported on a vertically movable'table or body which may be raised to transfer the load 'to the truck and which may be lowered to transfer the load from the truck to another support.

The object of the present invention is to improve and simplify the mechanism for raising and lowering the body `or table and more particularly shown anddescribed in my prior Patent No. 1,338,255, dated April 27, 1920. To the above end the present invention consists of the features of construetion and combination of parts hereinafter described and more particularly described yin the claims. K

In the accompanying drawings which'il-v lustrate what is now considered the preferred form of the present invention, Fig. 1 is a top plan view and Fig. 2 a vertical, longitudinal section of a truck of the general construction shown in my prior' patent, and 'provided with my improved elevating and lowering mechanism; Fig. 3 is a ver- I tical, longitudinal sectional view, on an en- -larged scale, of the front end of my improved truck, and Figs. 4, 5, 6 and? are sideviews, partially in section, showing somewhat diagrammatically theV manner o yoperation of the elevating mechanism. Y

' The general construction of the illustrated elevating truck, so far as 4the running gear, elevating mechanism andtruck body are con ce1-ned, is similar to that shown in my prior Patent No. 1,338,255, dated April 27, 1920. Briefly. this comprises anvA-shaped rframe formed by the obliquely arranged side members 1 and cross-member 2. The side members yare supported at the ends upon thc rear axle 3 and at their front ends upon the rigid front axle 4. The rear wheels 5 are mounted upon the ends of the rear axle 3, while the front wheels 6 are mounted upon short axles 7,- 7, carried by steering knuckles 8, S, mounted to turn upon the vertical pivots 9, 9, in the yokes atythe ends ofthe front axle '4, all as shown and described' in said prior patent.

Y he steering knuckles are turned by means of a tongue 11 mounted in the slot or recess in the block 13'secured tothe front axle 4 at its middle, the ltongue turning upon a verticalpivot pin 12. The links v14 connect the tongue with the arms 16 which eX- frame.

.tend forwardly from thesteering knuckles The tongue 11 is swung to the right and to .the left to lguide the truck `by means of the guiding handle 17 mounted .upon the horizontal pivot 18Vat the front end ofthev tongue 11. n

The verticallyniovable table or `body of the truck comprises an`open frame having the side members 19 and the rea-r member 2O of angleiron.- I The side members are connected at :their front ends by a vertical memberv 21 having the forwardly extending horizontal portion 22.I l

`The cross-members 23 and 24 directly above the front "and rear axles respectively are secured lto the .side members .of the The table or body is guided in its upward and Vdownward movements as set forth in detail kin said prior patent, suitable guiding devicesatv their rear. end beingA shown as a hollow cylindrical boss26 eX- tendingy downwardly from the cross-member 24, the boss sliding upon an upwardly eX- tending cylindrical member 27-liXed upon the rear aXle 3. i i yThe mechanism for raising. and lowering the table or body as shown in said patent,

comprises four wedges-having inclined upper andrlower edges and adapted-to be .moved longitudinally between anti-friction rollers carried by the axles and table. The two front wedges129 are formed integrally -with the cross-members 30 and 31, yand `are arranged to 'move with their lower `edges l supported upon the rollers 32, which are rotatably mounted upon the 'front axle, andv with their upper edges in engagement withl i the rolls 33 rotatably front cross-member 23.

The rear wedges 36 are connected together at their'front and rear ends byy crossrods 37 and 38. V'lhefront and rear wedges are connected by means of oblique rods 39. The

lower edges of the rear Vwedges are sup'.- ported upon the anti-friction rolls 41 mounted upon the rear-axle 3, while the upper edges ofthe wedges engage the rolls 43 upon the cross-member 24. 'f y 4 The truck body or table is elevated in my improved truck, as it is in my prior patent by moving the wedges longitudinally by,y

means of the guiding handle. In the present'inventio'n the mechanism for connecting supported `upon kthe the elevating wedge mechanism withthe g handle is improved and simplified and operates, so far as connection and disconnection are concerned, in a different manner.

fPivoted at 48 at the forward end of the front wedges is a link 49 comprising side members 50 connected by the cross-membersV l orweb 51 havingthe inclined'face 52. Ex 'y tending between the front ends ot the side bars of the link 49 is the bar53 having the lateral extensions 54. A tension spring is connected at its rear end to the rod 56,

which passes through the rear ends of the front wedges. The spring. is connected at its front end to an arm 57 projecting from the side ot the link v49. When the link and front wedges are in a line, as shown in F 5, so that the line ofV action of the spring is through or close to the pivot 48,the spring is wit-hout elfect. `llhen, however, the front end of the link is raised so that the line of action ofthe spring lies a suthcient distance above the pivot 4S, then the spring becomes voperative to raise the link higher and hold it in elevated position as shown in Figs. 2, 4 and 7. Vhen the table is in lowered po sition, as shown in Figs. 2 and 4, the link engages, the vertical portion 21 of the table which serves as an'abutment to prevent the link from rising turther,thus holdingV the lateral extensions 54 a sufficient distance below the overhanging portion 22 of the table land in front of the vertical portion 21`to be conveniently reached and engaged by the eperators foot, as hereinafter described.

The guiding handle 17 is provided at its lower end with a lateral extension 60 in Y which is formed the hook 61 adapted to receive the bar 53 at the front end of the link 49 when the handleis in substantially vertical position as shown in Figs. 2 and 4.

@The mode of operation of the link and handle to actuate the elevating mechanism is as follows: Assuming the parts are as shownl in Figs. 2 and 4, that is with theV truck body or table lowered, link raised, and the handle in substantially vertical position, the operator tirs't places his tootupon either vo1 jlhe laterally projecting bars 54 at the front end oi the link 49 and presses the link down againstthe tension otthe spring 55. As the 'frontend ot the link descends, the spring becomesless eltective owing to the changed angular position ot the link, until it becomes inoperative altogether when the f link is in linal connected position withits `trontfbar 53 in engagement with the hook 61 of theV handle. Fig. 4 shows in 'fulliout line the position of the parts at this stage, the initial position of the link beingshown in dotted out-line. i

The operator now pulls down the guiding handle lromits vertical positioninto the position shown in Figs. 3 and 5. This downwardly swinging'movement of the handle acts to draw'the link forwardly and with the link and orcesithe front end ot thelink upwardly until, when the position shown in Fig. 6 is reached, the line of action of the spring 55 is tar enough above the pivot48 to render the spring operative to raise the` link into the position shown in Fig. 7 and to retain it there, leaving the guiding handle free to be swung to the right or left and raised or lowered as the operator desires.

In order to relieve the inclined wedges of the tendency to move `longitudinally when `the truck body is in raised position, the

wedges are Vprovided at their rear ends with flat or horizontal faces 65 for the anti-friction rolls, the accidentaly movement of the wedges and. the lowering ofV the truck body being prevented by means ot' al lock or latch 66 which is pivoted upon the bar 56 passing through the rear ends of the iront wedges. `l This latch has the depending shoulders 67 adapted to engage the notches 68 in the side members 1 of the running gear of the truck. A releasing pedal 69, extends forwardly `from one side of the latch in convenient position for the operator, the weight of `the pedal, which tends to release the catch, be-

ing counter-balanced by counterweights 70.

In order to force the wedges rearwardly so that. the-,truck body or table may be lowered, the latch member' 66 is provided IUD lll.:

with an abutment arm'71 which, afterV the pedal has been depressed so that theshoulders 67 are :treed from the `notches 68, en-

gages a roll 72 carried .by Vthe truck body or table betweenthe two anti-friction rolls 33 on the crossmember 23. The roll 72l thereafter serves as an abutment `i'or the arm 71 and the continued downward movement ot the pedal 69 forces the wedges rearw wardly to unseat the rolls to lower the truck body, the check 7 3 controlling the lowering movement. During this rearward movement of the wedge. mechanism, the shoulders 67 ride along on top of the oblique members 1 `of the running gear, and the pedal 69 is moved bodily toa positionbeneath the table or body. When the truck body is again ele vated the lock` or latch with its connected parts moves forward with they wedges until the shoulders 67 drop into the notches 68 `when the pedal is in its forwardfposition, as

shown in Fig. `3, within .easy reach of` the operator. 1 e

In ordei` to hold the handle 17 vsecurely in upright positio-n when not in use', the hub of the handle has been. provided with a depression orrccess`74l adapted to receive the rounded end 75 of a spring` pressed plunger mounted in a recess in the forward end of the tongue 11. When the handle 17 is raised to vertical position the plunger' 75 enters the recess 74 and holds the handle securely in upright position, as shown in Fig. 2. To release the handle it is only necessary to pull it forwardly thereby forcing the plunger out of the recess. y

It will be kobserved that in my improved construction thereis no tendency forV the link to disengage from the hook o-f the handle if the operator removes his foot after once depressing the link. lVith the parts in this position the spring is inoperative and the link lies in the hook of the handle by reason of its own weight, and the parts will remain in this position aslong as the operator desires. Thus the connection of the link andV handle is made without the necessity of any movement of' the handle, and may, if so desired, be effected long in advance of any downward movement of the handle. 4 v

It will also be noted that the disconnection of the link from the handle'is initiated positively by the operator by the raising of the handle. It is not until the link has been positively forced upwardly a substantial distance and until the link is clear of the hook of the handle, that the spring becomes effective and compl-etes the movement of the link to its normal inoperative position. v

Having thus described the present invention, what is claimed is:

1. An elevating truck having in combination, a carriage, an elevating table, means for raising the table on the carriage, a link pivoted on said means, a handle mounted to turn upon a horizontal aXis, the handle and the free end of the link being provided with complemental surfaces 4for connecting the handle and link when the handle Lis loweredy and for initiating a disconnecting vmovement of the link when the handle is raised, a ten sion spring secured at one end to the elevating mechanism and at the other to the link, the line of action of the spring passing substantially through the pivotal axis of thel link whereby the spring is inoperative when the handle is first raised to impart a positive disconnecting movement to the link and until the line of action ofthe spring is carried a sutiicient distance from the pivotal axis of the ylink to render the spring operaive to complete the disconnecting vof the 2. An elevating truck having, in combination, a carriage, an elevating table, means, including wedges, for raising the table upon the carriage, a guiding handle Vmounted to to the link and lying, when the handle is in j lowered position and the link is connected thereto, substantially in the line of the pivotal axis of the link.

3. An elevating truck having, in combination, a carriage, an elevating table provided at its front end lwith an overhanging portion, mechanism for raising the table upon the carriage including a pivoted link, means for holding the free end of the link elen vated when said link is out ofoperation, the front end of the table being provided with an abutment to engage the link when the table is in lowered position to holdfthe free end of the link partially depressed con` venient for'the operator and permitting, the free end ofthe linkto rise Vclose under the overhanging portion of the table when the latter is in raised position.

4L. An elevating truck having, in combination, a carriage, van elevating table, means, including wedges and rolls, for elevating the table upon the-- carriage, the wedges be ing provided with surfaces to be engaged by the rolls to hold the table in elevated position, a pivoted member pivotally connected with the wedges and provided with an actuating pedal and an abutment face, the table being provided with a cooperating abutment whereby when the pedal is actuated the wedges will be moved to carry said surfaces out of engagement'with the rolls.

5. lAnl elevating truck having, in combination, a carriage, an elevating table, means, including wedges and rolls, for elevating the table upon the carriage the wedges being provided with surfaces to be engagedk by the rolls to hold the table in elevated position, a

lock comprising ay memberpivotally connected with the wedges and movable longitudinally therewith, said member being provided with a locking face, an actuating pedal' and anabutment lface, the carriage being provided with a cooperating locking face and the table with a cooperating abutment whereby when the pedal is depressed the locking faces will be disengaged, and the abutment face `will engage the abutment and thewedges will be actuated to carry the surfaces out of engagement 'with the rolls.

6. An eleva-ting truck having, in combina Y from the hook.

7; An elevating truck having, in combina-- tion7 a carriage, an elevating table, mechanisin intermediate the carriage and table for raising the table vertically upon the carriage, a lever pivoted upon the elevating mechanism and adapted to be actuated by the foot of the operator, the lever having a latching face to engage the carriage to lock the table in elevated position, and an abutment face to engage the table to initiate the reverse movement of the elevating mechanism.

8. An elevating truck having,v in combination, a carriage, an elevating table, horizontally moving means 'for raising and lowering the talole vertically upon the carriage, a lock for locking said means `from horizontal inoveinent, a pedal for releasing the lock and means connected rWith `the pedal for positively initiating the horizontall movement of the raising and lowering means.

"9. An elevating truck having, in combination, a carriage, an elevating table, a handle mounted to turn about a horizontal axis for raising the table upon the carriage including a link pivoted at one endand having provision at the other for connection with thehandle, atension spring having one end 'attached to a relatively fixed part and the other to the. pivoted link -in such a manner that the line of action of the spring is substantially in the line of the pivotal axis of of act-ion of the spring a sutlicient distance from the pivotal axis to permit the spring to` complete the 'disconnectingmovement of the link.

` VPiERhlAltIlAIL. SCRIYEN. 

